But this isn't the first time that the Dalai Lama has made such an assertion.

In 2011, German journalist Michaela Doepke asked him a similar question in an interview for the publication Buddhismus Aktuell.

He responded by saying that a French journalist asked him this very question "twenty or thirty years ago."

A translated version of the interview quotes him as follows: "I also said half-jokingly that if the Dalai Lama's reincarnation is female, she must be very attractive. The reason is so that she will have more influence on others.

"If she is an ugly female, she won't be very effective, will she? What do you think?"

These are not the only times the Dalai Lama's comments have proven controversial.

In 1997, he said at a press conference that, "From a Buddhist point of view, men-to-men and women-to-women is generally considered sexual misconduct," a comment that left gay Buddhists disappointed, The San Francisco Gate reported.

However, in 2014, the Dalai Lama showed a progressive attitude toward gay marriage, saying, "If two people — a couple — really feel that way is more practical, more sort of satisfaction, both sides fully agree, then OK," Agence France-Presse reported.